the MAIWA JOURNAL

Saturday, September 26, 2009 No comments

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 No comments

Our latest video podcast just went up.

Part 3 - Conclusion
Rosemary Crill

Rosemary Crill explores "the cotton road", sibling to the well known silk road but largely dominated by India's traffic in cotton textiles. In part three Rosemary Crill explores India's trade with the west as the focus shifted from printed cottons to muslins and Kashmir shawls. She concludes her lecture by answering some questions from the audience.

Recorded live at the Maiwa Textile Symposium 2007. This is a video podcast and it contains the images presented during the lecture.

Subscribe in iTunes
Listen to Part 1.
Listen to Part 2.

Indian textiles were exported to the Middle East and the ancient Roman world centuries before Europeans arrived on the subcontinent. Painted cottons and ikat-dyed silks were also sent from the medieval period onwards to Southeast Asian markets, especially in Indonesia, where they were treated as precious heirlooms.

When the Portuguese arrived in India in the wake of Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India in 1498, they lost no time in sending embroideries back to Portugal. All of these export markets dealt in textiles that had been carefully adapted to the taste of the buyers, and when the British East India Company started to trade in India in 1600, the textiles they sent back for sale in London also developed a unique style which combined British, Indian, and even Chinese elements into an exotic hybrid. The arrival of painted cottons (chintzes) took Britain by storm in the early 17th century and continued to be so popular well into the 18th century that they were even banned because they were threatening the livelihood of local linen and wool weavers.

This lecture will outline the different markets to which India exported many different types of textiles and will concentrate particularly on the craze for chintz that swept Britain and the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries. Indian muslins and the fine Kashmir shawls that were worn with them were the next great fashion to be based on Indian imports to Europe, and their origins and eventual decline in the mid-19th century will also be discussed.

Rosemary Crill

Rosemary Crill joined the Victoria and Albert Museum’s then Indian Department in 1980 and is now Senior Curator (South Asia) in the Asian Department. She lectures worldwide, specializing in Indian and Islamic textiles and dress and in Indian painting.

Her publications include Indian Ikat Textiles (1997), Colours of the Indus: Costume & Textiles of Pakistan (with Nasreen Askari, 1997), Indian Embroidery (1999), Marwar Painting: A History of the Jodhpur Style (1999), and Trade, Temple and Court: Indian Textiles from the Tapi Collection (co-author with Ruth Barnes and Steven Cohen, 2002). She has contributed to many other books, periodicals, and catalogues, including The Indian Heritage (V&A, 1982), Arts of India 1550-1900 (V&A, 1990), The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms (V&A, 1999), and Dress in Detail from Around the World (V&A, 2002), and she has recently edited Textiles from India: The Global Trade (Kolkata, 2005) and The Making of the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art (2006).

Sunday, September 20, 2009 No comments

Thursday, September 17, 2009 No comments

Maiwa is participating in an exhibition of quiltworks at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford. Ralli Quilts are on loan from the Maiwa Collection and Charllotte Kwon will speak at the opening reception on September 24th. Here is the full press release from The Reach Gallery.

A Common Thread: Textiles from Stó:lō, South Asian and Mennonite Communities
September 24 – January 3
Opening Reception September 24 at 7 pm

The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford, working in collaboration with the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Faculty of Arts, The UFV Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Stó:lō First Nations educators and artisans and the Maiwa Foundation, opens A Common Thread: Textiles from Stó:lō, South Asian and Mennonite Communities on September 24 at 7 pm. A Common Thread explores a tapestry of cultural traditions from weaving to quilting to the story-telling that embroiders each piece of work.

The partners have been working on the exhibition since early 2009. “Although this is an exhibition related to the celebration of the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres, the focus is about bringing communities together” says The Reach curator Scott Marsden. “It has already brought together a diverse group to work together on this show and now will bring the larger community together through the universal language of textiles.”

The Stó:lō weaving tradition, which was almost lost until the 1960’s, is now a part of an international cultural renaissance of Salish weaving. Today Stó:lō weaving contains many beautiful designs each with specific symbols and meanings. One of the last examples of a traditional Salish woven blanket (circa 1830) will be in the exhibition courtesy of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives.

The Mennonite Central Committee has contributed quilts from quilters that incorporate a range of traditional and contemporary motifs. The Mennonite quilts are about family connections. Through quilting, utilitarian objects are elevated with imagination, enterprise and love to the status of an original art form.

The Ralli quilts from the India Pakistan region are made from fragments of other fabrics and are an integral part of the cultures from which they originate. The Ralli quilting tradition goes back thousands of years. Maiwa Foundation’s Charllotte Kwon says, “Ralli quilts tell the stories of women and the strength of tradition, history and community.” The Maiwa Foundation, established in 1997 by Maiwa Handprints Limited of Vancouver, is contributing these artefacts that attest to the great creative talents of their makers.

Artist Lois Klassen’s Comforter Art-Action: Princess City installation will also be part of the exhibition. Since 2001 Klassen has hosted Comforter Art-Action, an ongoing material response to human displacement that has involved over 200 individuals and groups from over 20 countries and was recently featured at The Glenbow Museum’s Sew City exhibition in Calgary.

On September 26 from 1 to 5 pm the Reach will host A Common Thread Forum. Speakers include:

Princess Urmila Devi - India - Treasured Textiles from Private Collections
Lois Klassen - Comforter Art-Action and other Bedtime stories
Val Pankratz - Quilt Trunk Show

Two lecturers from Maiwa’s bi-annual symposium will also be presenting at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford. Tuesday, October 20 at 7 pm author Stephen Huyler will discuss his book Daughters of India: Art and Identity. In this lecture he will present individual profiles and place them in context of broader Indian textile arts and the development of women’s creativity as a part of their own personal empowerment.

Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber speaks on her book Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth and Society in Early Times on Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm. Dr. Barber illustrates how the economic engine of the ancient and early modern worlds was the fabric of industry and almost the exclusive province of women. Dr. Barber is Professor of Archaeology and Linguistics and co-chair of the Classics Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

A Common Thread opens September 24 with a reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres from 7 to 9 pm and opening remarks from 7:30 to 8 pm. Also opening on September 24, Stories to pass on … by Deanna Bowen, September 24 to November 8 in The Great Hall and Passions in Abstract by Myrtle-Anne Rempel, SFCA, CSPWC, September 24 to November 1 in The Grotto and South Gallery. The Reach is located at 32388 Veteran’s Way (corner of Trethewey and South Fraser Way) in Abbotsford.

Admission to the exhibitions, forum and talks is free. For more information please visit thereach.ca or call 604-864-8087.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009 No comments

Saturday, September 12, 2009 No comments

We are always a little worried as the second day begins. Will the artisans return? Working in different languages makes it difficult to know how much has been understood, and there are substantial pressures on these artisans for their time. When we planned the workshop we wanted to begin at nine and end at five. In discussions with Chandan, he thought that we could not ask this - they would not show up. At the end of the first day we decided to push a little. "Who can be here early tomorrow morning? We want to start at nine AM." Every hand went up. When we arrived at eight AM to set-up they were waiting for us.

On the second day we begin with what we call the singular dyes. For this workshop these will be lac, madder, pomegranate, marigold and myrobalan. These dyes will each give their own colour and additional colours will be made by overdyeing the first colour with a second dye. So for example, we start with madder on its own and to this we will add madder overdyed with pomegranate, madder overdyed only with lac, madder overdyed first with lac and then with pomegranate and so on. This simple idea is a bit tricky to oversee. The temptation to put all the yarn into the second dyepot, and not hold any back for the first colour, is very strong.

There are about forty students and they split into eight groups. Most are weavers and they all have a tremendous facility with handling the silks. It is really quite extraordinary to watch. A tangle that would take us several hours to negotiate seems to be resolved by them with a few deft flicks of the wrist.

The group is keen and they are "with" us. Still, there are several opportunities for the works to slide off the rails. Charllotte (who as a sign of respect is referred to simply as "Madam") moves from group to group helping and troubleshooting. The task falls mainly to Shirley then to make certain that no one wanders off. A simple thing (like small groups of people chatting) can spell disaster for a workshop. In any culture there is a hierarchy of who does the work and who does not do the work. If individuals stop working to talk it is divisive and almost instantly all the men will also stop. This is especially true if others from the village are watching. We have the advantage in these situations of being teachers, foreigners, and guests. We are from outside the culture and so we insist on a simple rule. You cannot be sitting if Madam is not sitting.

At the end of the second day we have bamboo poles hung with dyed silk. We have worked a long day and the sun has slipped away before the hanks are completely dry. These yarns are so valuable that the artisans will not leave while they are still outside. Only when the silks have been brought inside for the night do they feel comfortable in starting home.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009 No comments

Monday, September 07, 2009 1 comments

Friday, September 04, 2009 1 comments

Wednesday, September 02, 2009 No comments

Returning to Canada after having committed to a natural dye workshop in Assam, we had to unpack our samples of silks and see if they could be dyed successfully.

When we were in Assam we tried our best to gather local knowledge about silk dyeing. Popular opinion is that the local silks cannot be dyed.

We are working mainly with Eri and Muga. The Muga (shown left) is very valuable and is found only in Assam. Traditional weaving styles incorporate some coloured threads in small patterns on the edge of the weave. Contemporary practice is to work these with synthetic yarns dyed in rather harsh shades of red and green. The effect of cheap synthetics woven into the muga silk is similar to getting an order of McDonald's fries served up with your gourmet dinner. If the weavers can dye the local silk themselves they will have a cloth that is truly exquisite.

Our concerns with testing are with the fineness of the muga - the reeled silk is exceptionally thin. And we do not want the muga to loose it's sheen when it completes the dye process. Muga is also spun and pot-reeled (mainly from the imperfect cocoons and the ones from which the adult moths have emerged). Some of the yarns have a "slub" and they might take the dye unevenly. The Eri, which is spun and behaves more like cotton, has a tendency to pill. We are worried that it will felt or become hopelessly tangled when it enters the dyebath.

Much to our satisfaction, the tests are successful. We experiment with a range of mordanting strengths using two forms of Alum: Potassium aluminum sulphate and alum acetate. Those of you who wandered into the Maiwa Supply store in December of 2008 would have been fortunate enough to see the tests being done.

We test with a selection of natural dyes that can be found in Assam or within India in nearby states. Our intention is that artisans be self sufficient, which raises a curious point. We sell natural dyes that we import from Assam. But the artisans don't know what dyes are local or where to get them. So, in addition to a complete set of recipes for mordants, dyes and the best colour on silks we prepare a list of local dyes and where to get them in Assam or neighbouring states. This information all goes into the student books which we prepare. The books also show artisans working with dyes on the village level in other countries all over the world. It is important that the artisans not feel they are working alone or in isolation trying to master strange techniques. Moreover, most of the dye knowledge contained in the book has originally come from artisans: in a way we are giving them back their own knowledge.

We now have a sample set of silk dyed a range of colours; firsthand knowledge of how the fibers behave under dyeing conditions; student books ready with mordant recipes, dye recipes, and dye information. We are feeling prepared and ready to go.

Next

Monday, August 31, 2009 1 comments

Friday, August 28, 2009 No comments

Monday, August 24, 2009 No comments

Thursday, August 20, 2009 No comments

We have just had a great letter from Veronica Soul. Veronica was instrumental in bringing the Maiwa Foundation to Morocco. That might be an understatment. She was the force behind connecting the needs of the Moroccan women with our resources and desire to help. She coordinated registration; sourced local suppliers of dyestuffs; searched the market for large pots, burners, and pH neutral soaps; organized the workspace and other volunteers, and kept everything organized and focused.

Veronica recently met up with Amina Yabis who was a student in the 2007 workshop. Veronica tells us that Amina took her knowledge of natural dyes and began teaching others. She is now in demand as a natural dye trainer and has conducted workshops in Taroudant, Ben Semim, Ribat El Khayr, Sefrou (2 workshops for women from the Middle Atlas, attended by 10 cooperatives), Ait Yahya Ouala, Mrirt, Timhedit, Zawiyya Sidi Abdelselem, Figuig (where she trained 37 women. The training was so successful that the 37 women had a workshop and trained 120 more women. The Figuig region is now successfully using natural dyes.) and 5 workshops in the region of Azrou.

In the old medina of Fes, there was a conference for “natural dye research specialists” from the Mediterranean region. Mr. Messaoudi (the translator for our 2007 workshop) and Amina were the only Moroccans who were invited. Amina said the participants were surprised to learn that Moroccans are using natural dyes. They didn't expect the Moroccans to know anything about natural dye techniques. Amina was so pleased to be able to talk about natural dyeing in Morocco, though there is still much work to be done.

In 2009 Amina was invited to be a vendor at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival. This festival is a huge event and a great way for artisans to come to know western markets. Veronica met Amina because she was now traveling in the US after the Santa Fe event. The future is looking good for Amina and she has a commission from a hotel chain in France to provide naturally-dyed shag rugs using henna and walnut.

When a workshop concludes it is very difficult to say what the students will do with their new knowledge. We couldn't ask for better news than what we received in Veronica's letter.

[Update: We have just been notified via the comments section that Amina Yabis has a website. Visit the Cherry Buttons Coop here.]

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 1 comments

Our latest video podcast just went up.

Part 2 - Presentation
Rosemary Crill

Rosemary Crill explores "the cotton road", sibling to the well known silk road but largely dominated by India's traffic in cotton textiles. This episode presents the second part of Rosemary's lecture in which she explores India's cotton trade with the west. Printed cotton known as "chintz" changed the very fabric of life itself - especially in the British Commonwealth.

Recorded live at the Maiwa Textile Symposium 2007. This is a video podcast and it contains the images presented during the lecture.

Subscribe in iTunes
Listen to Part 1.

Saturday, August 15, 2009 No comments

Thursday, August 13, 2009 No comments

Tuesday, August 11, 2009 No comments

When we put together the 2009 Symposium course calendar, we are limited to one or two photos of instructor works. Its a real shame because so much of the instructor work is breaking new ground or taking a technique to a high level of refinement. And, even though we think our course calendar is beautiful, it breaks our heart to run some of the colour photos as monotones. So, in some of the posts leading up to this fall's workshops we are going to showcase the instructor work that didn't fit into the calendar.

This year Ann Johnson will be teaching two workshops; Color by Accident and Dyed to Clamp. In February of 2009 Ann had an exhibit of her work at the Boger Gallery, College of the Ozarks, Missouri "Dyed to Stitch" the works ranged from full saturated colours to beautiful explorations of natural cream and rust tones. A full set of exhibition photos is available here.

What motivates Ann's work? Here is her artist statement: "The impetus for my work is the world around me, its shapes, patterns, colors and textures. I work toward a goal in each quilt I make, having a particular concept in mind that is sometimes specific, sometimes broad. I also usually have a task, something “new” I want to try. I use many different construction techniques, traditional and contemporary, depending on the idea of the quilt, so my quilts are often very different from each other. I may start with a rough sketch, a scale drawing, a computer printout, or a paint brush and a white piece of fabric. In making the quilt, I allow the design to evolve according to the physical processes, that is, how the dye flows on the fabric, where the last curved piece ends, or how the last line of quilting makes the fabric lay. Mastering dyeing and painting fabric has allowed me to expand the kinds of quilts I can make and now, more and more frequently the fabric I dye is itself a source of inspiration for the design and structure of a quilt. I consider each piece to be a step in my growth as an artist, something I had to try, a process to learn from, never an end. I am currently pursuing several interests, for example, the action of a wave, steps and ladders, cranes and chimneys, and the spaces they create. This year I have begun to look at some of my fabrics, dyed over and over again as art cloth, finished works in themselves."

Here are three images of Ann's work that we were looking at when we put the calendar together. We find the colours, implied textures and scope of the work to be very inspiring. These images link back to Ann Johnston's gallery page on her website.

As of this posting Ann's workshops are almost full but we do have one or two spaces available.

Sunday, August 09, 2009 No comments

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